Nanopaper based on Ag/TiO2 nanobelts heterostructure for continuous-flow photocatalytic treatment of liquid and gas phase pollutants

Abstract

The Ag/TiO(2) nanobelt heterostructures were prepared by the acid-assisted hydrothermal method followed by an in situ photo-reduction process. The photocatalytic activity of TiO(2) nanobelts was evidently enhanced by the heterostructures between Ag nanoparticles and TiO(2) nanobelts. The nanopapers based on Ag/TiO(2) nanobelt heterostructures were fabricated via a modified paper-making process. A novel continuous photocatalytic reactor was designed, and MO removal rate of Ag/C-TiO(2) nanopaper was achieved to 100% in 40 min for single layer and only in 6 min for three layers. The self-supported TiO(2) nanopapers with porous structures also showed an excellent continuous photocatalytic performance for toluene gas under UV light irradiation, and the corresponding degradation rate was 69.5% in 184 min. Moreover, the Ag/TiO(2) nanobelts nanopaper showed a good antibacterial effect. The multifunctional TiO(2) nanopapers modified by the heterostuctures could have potential applications in the environmental and biomaterial fields.